One of the rose windows below the damaged roof of Notre-Dame. (Photo: AFP/Amaury Blin) Officials from the culture ministry were allowed into the 850-year-old landmark to begin retrieving the artworks after fire service officials declared the scorched structure safe enough to go inside. The Notre-Dame cathedral was engulfed in flames in central Paris on April 15. (Photo: AFP/Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt) Firefighters and engineering experts have been working on the fragile landmark since a devastating blaze on Monday night, erecting scaffolding and other wooden supports to stop any of the stonework collapsing. "The paintings inside the cathedral have been saved from the flames and can now be taken down and transported to safe areas," France's Culture Minister Franck Riester told reporters at the scene on Friday. "All of the paintings will be removed today," Riester added, saying that he was feeling "very positive" given how most of the priceless canvasses, many of them dating … [Read more...] about Notre Dame paintings removed amid lead pollution fears
What causes damage to kidneys
Reducing the pressure of hypertension
Dr George Cloatre. — Photo courtery of Hanoi French Hospital Viet Nam News By Dr George Cloatre* What is Hypertension? Generally, high arterial blood pressure or hypertension is diagnosed when the top values are above 140mmHg and lower values above 90 mmHg. The top (first) number isthe systolic pressurethat measures pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts. The bottom number isthe diastolic pressurethat measures pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between each heartbeat. It is a common condition and affects around 25-30 per cent of the adult population in the Western World, as well as in Việt Nam. High blood pressure is uncommon under the age of 40. Between the ages of 45-54 years, about a third of men and a quarter of women have high blood pressure. Over the age of 75 years, about two thirds of men and more than three quarters of women have high blood pressure. Hypertension, especially when values are not very high, mostly goes unnoticed. … [Read more...] about Reducing the pressure of hypertension
Slowly, but surely, an invisible poison is choking Vietnamese cities
Asia is where most of the economic growth will happen, experts say, as Chinese villages turn into megacities and similar phenomena become evident across the continent, including Vietnam. The World Economic Forum has predicted that the next billion members of the world’s middle class will come from Asia. However, these impressive figures, the higher living standards and rising wealth generation have been accompanied by a disaster of unimagined proportions that both citizens and policymakers are not paying sufficient attention to, in terms of long term ameliorative measures. There is literally aplenty on the scale of the problems caused by rising levels of air pollution across the country caused by heavy industries and rapidly increasing number of motorized vehicle owners. Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital, only had 38 days of "clear air" (an AQI below 100) in 2017, with average pollution four times higher than those deemed acceptable by the World Health Organization's air quality … [Read more...] about Slowly, but surely, an invisible poison is choking Vietnamese cities
Urinary Tract Infection in children
Viet Nam News By Assoc.PhD Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Hương* What is urinary tract infection (UTI)? A UTI happens when bacteria get into the urinary tract, multiplies there, and causes inflammation. The germs most often come from the gut and feces which can get into the urethra. The urinary tract is made up of the kidneys, which produce urine; the ureters, the tubes through which the urine travels from the kidneys to the bladder; and the bladder, which stores the urine. Bacteria can affect any part of the urinary tract. A UTI is called a pyelonephritis if it affects the kidneys and cystitis or lower UTI if it affects the bladder. Pyelonephritis is a serious condition in children and can lead to kidney scarring and hypertension and may cause end-stage renal disease later in life. What are the risk factors? UTIs are more common in girls because a girl’s urethra is shorter and closer to the anus, so it is easier for bacteria to get into the … [Read more...] about Urinary Tract Infection in children
Vaccinations
Viet Nam News by Dr. Jonathan Halevy* Babies in the first two years of their lives need to get at least 22 shots of vaccinations against 18 different types of infections (viruses and bacteria). Now what kind of a parent would put his tiny little baby through this? What parent would give his little baby 22 painful shots, expose him to infectious material, chemicals and side effects? And how come pediatricians all over the world recommend parents to do so? Aren’t these doctors supposed to protect little babies, not harm them? How come governments and schools make vaccinations mandatory? Have they all lost their minds? The answer is simple: we do it because the alternative of not doing it is so much worse. In 2008 over 1.5 million children under the age of 5 died around the world from diseases that could have been prevented by vaccinations. In 2014, there was a terrible outbreak of measles in Việt Nam, affecting thousands of children and causing the death of hundreds … [Read more...] about Vaccinations
Prevent strokes since curing is difficult: doctors
Illustrative Image. — Vietnamnet.vn HCM CITY — On a recent Saturday morning in the meeting room of Tâm Đức Heart Hospital in District 7, HCM City, a seminar was held on “Atrial fibrillation effective management: the role of new generation anticoagulants in preventing stroke in atrial fibrillation patient”. It was a unique event in the fact that all participants were heart disease patients or people with an elevated risk of stroke. The seminar disseminated useful information as doctors discussed what causes atrial fibrillation (AF), how to control it and what new generation anti-coagulants are available to treat atrial fibrillation. The seminar has been a regular activity organised by Tâm Đức Hospital in recent years for its stroke patients club. Dr Tôn Thất Minh, the hospital’s director, said the incidence of stroke is increasing globally and in Việt Nam due to modern habits like smoking and eating … [Read more...] about Prevent strokes since curing is difficult: doctors
Deadly synthetic drugs create many new addicts
No matter what anyone asks, she has the same answer: “I don’t know. I don’t remember anything.”She is one of two patients currently being treated for methamphetamine shock at the hospital’s Poison Control Centre.Nguyễn Trung Nguyên, who is in charge of the centre, said that the girl was completely unconscious when she was moved here from a provincial hospital. Her nerves and heart have been affected.“The girl has come out of the coma but she is not able to recognise everything properly,” the doctor said.Her father, Trần Thanh Minh, traveled more than 2,000km from his hometown in southern Kiên Giang Province to take care of his daughter.He said that his daughter was working as a cosmetics seller in northern Hòa Bình Province. Each month, she sent VNĐ2.5 million to her family. On hearing of her coma, the whole family was shocked to learn that the girl was addicted to synthetic drugs.“I feel really sad. … [Read more...] about Deadly synthetic drugs create many new addicts